Kirsta Leeburg Melton, a Texas prosecutor with 25 years of felony experience, has filed to run as an independent candidate in the Hays County District Attorney Race.
“Justice should be independent,” Melton said. “It shouldn’t be obstructed, restricted or influenced by politics or party agendas, whether the decisions being made concern the violation of the law or next steps. There should be one standard for all of us, regardless of our status, party, wealth, gender or race.
Everyone in Hays County deserves to live in a safe and healthy community and that means decisions based on the facts and the law. It also means creating a District Attorney’s Office that is accountable to the public we serve. If we want something different, we must do something different! Join me in a campaign focused on integrity, truth and independence in the justice system.”
Melton has spent 25 years on the front lines prosecuting traffickers, abusers, rapists and perpetrators of family violence. She started and led the Texas Attorney General’s Human Trafficking and Transnational Organized Crime section, was a co-founder of TAT (Truckers Against Trafficking) and the founder and CEO of Institute to Combat Trafficking.
Over the past decade, she played a critical role in the restructuring of Texas trafficking law and procedure, testified repeatedly before the Texas legislature and chaired both the Texas Statewide Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force and Coordinating Council.
She is known for her ability to marshal individuals and agencies with disparate agendas behind a unified set of goals and objectives, and lead impactful teams committed to seeking and demanding justice for victims, according to a press release from her campaign. Melton’s willingness to confront injustice, challenge the status quo and consistently raise the bar for herself and colleagues makes her uniquely qualified to elevate justice matters to their rightful place in Hays County.
In addition to her extensive courtroom experience, Melton has trained more than 30,000 people on human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault and legal procedure and has been featured in multiple training films utilized nationwide. She is committed to raising the next generation of leaders and teaches a course on human trafficking for undergraduates at Texas State University and the University of Texas. She has also mentored dozens of younger prosecutors throughout the years.
Melton is the author and editor of Human Trafficking Investigation: A Practitioner’s Guide to Making the Case, published by CRC Press in September 2024 and an acknowledged leader in her field.
Melton graduated from Cornell University in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in American government and received her J.D. and masters of public affairs from the University of Texas at Austin in 1998. She’s married with two grown children, both of whom graduated from Dripping Springs High School before going on to earn their college degrees. She and her husband reside in Dripping Springs.
KIRSTA LEEBURG MELTON
